Four Corners
by DawnBringer0034
Summary: Team's RWBY and JNPR are ready to start off their second year when a group of four mysterious students enroll in the second year. Who are they? What is their purpose? Join both teams as they answer these questions for themselves, learning more than they ever thought they would. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

***********Authors Note: Hello! In this Fanfiction the current storyline will not be followed, other than the fact that Ruby and her friends are in te second year. I will be introducing four characters of my own, as well as my own plot line. Characters from the show that will not be included in this are as follows; Team SSSN, White Fang, and Cinder's Faction (Cinder, Roman, Neo, Mercury, and Emerald). The story will mainly focus on my four characters and team RWBY and team JNPR. Please also note that I've made some personal touches on the world of remant, such as making a fictional kingdom. I'd also like to mention that I in no way own RWBY, that ownership belongs to Monty Oum, and it is only because of him that I will have such fun creating this Fanfic, enjoy!****

********_****Chapter One: Introductions****_

The day was an important one, not only was it the first day of school for Beacon Academy, but initiation day for the first years. Beacon Academy looked as it always had, the tree's and flag draped-poles leading the new students to the main building. Most of them could be seen nervously talking to their peer's or simply walking alone, apprehension like make-up on their face. There were four boys who looked particularly unconcerned with the situation, walking along in comfortable silence towards their destination. One walked lazily in front of the others, arm's carrying bags and his head banging to music. Another was completely hidden from view, a silver traveling cloak hiding his face completely. The one with the traveling cloak glanced at the person walking next to him, nodding to himself before turning back. The adjacent companion smiled lightly, his eye's hidden by tinted sunglasses. The jammed out leader lashed out with his bags in the heat of the song, their last companion nonchalantly ducking under the accidental strike, not even looking up from the book he was reading. In the sea of nervousness and fear, the four young men were like a circle of rhythmic peace.

The new students were corralled into the amphitheater, standing on the right side while their junior's stood on the left. Once everyone had entered silence filled the hall, though the leader continued to be oblivious and air guitar to his music. His cloaked friend gave him a gentle swat, the boy taking out the earbuds with an apologetic grin.

"Greeting's students, new and old, welcome to Beacon Academy" Professor Ozpin began, pausing at the polite applause.

"Today is initiation, being such I'd like to go over a few things as well as a couple changes to the initiation process itself" Ozpin continued, pausing once more.

"This year's initiation is divided into two phases, Singular Combat and Team objective. To explain I'd like to introduce General Ironwood, who will be overseeing this year's initiation" Ozpin announced, stepping back for the fellow headmaster. He smiled and waved at the applause, Glynda rolling her eye's behind him. Ospin smiled in suppressed humor. The cloaked initiate visibly straightened at the general's appearance, clenching his gloved fist.

"Thank you, thank you everyone! It's a true pleasure to be here and i'm just as excited as you! Now, in the first phase all initiate's will be facing a grimm on their own. My men and I will be over watching the proceeding's to make sure no one is seriously injured. Let me make it clear, if my men must step in to save you then you will be unfit to continue on to phase two. The staff here will be watching you, studying you and putting you all in teams for phase two, any questions?" Ironwood paused, pointing at an initiate in the front.

"Will the Grimm's be very tough?" she asked, clearly nervous about the question.

Ironwood smiled sympathetically before answering, "You should be able to dispatch them based on your primary school training, no worries dear, we won't allow you to get hurt". "Bullshit" the cloaked figure mumbled, getting a raised eyebrow from his head banging companion. Irownwood answered a few more questioned before cheerily commanding them to follow Miss Goodwitch to the locker rooms.

"Alright everyone quiet down!" the teacher instructed, the initiates falling dead silent. She cleared her throat before continuing; "Staff members and myself will go around collecting names and checking your documents. This needs to be done quickly so cooperate and answer all questions honestly!" she instructed sternly. The students complied, getting into small groups whispering quietly and awaiting for the staff to approach. Once again the four boys stood out, being the only laid back, unbothered, people in the room. Naturally they seemed like they'd take the least amount of time to Glynda so she immediately headed over to them, her scroll and digi-clipboard in hand.

"Greeting's gentlemen, names please?" she asked, preparing to search the school's data-base with her scroll.

The grinning leader took out his earbuds, "Marco Polo" he said happily, a smile never leaving his face. His green eye's sparkled with the same joy she heard in his voice, he seemed a bit too jolly for his own good.

"Age 18, graduated from Signal?" she asked, not looking up from her scroll.

"Right on, Mrs. G" he replied merrily, her eyebrow twitched in slight irritation. She'd let it slide, there was no time to scold him for rudeness.

"Mason Maniger" the fire haired teen said, taking off his aviator's to reveal bright red eye's.

"Age 16, graduated from Signal?" she asked once again.

"Yes, ma'am" Mason answered, his voice as light as a feather. Glynda found this surprising considering his appearance, but there was something in his documents that made her even more surprised.

"You're also a half-grimm?" she asked, her voice harbored disbelief. She couldn't help it, half-grimm's were far and in between, he would be the first one enrolled in beacon. Mason silently nodded, Marco handed her a card. She looked at it closely, it read; ****Half Grimm Guardian-Marco Polo******. **She quickly typed in the card's code, getting an affirmative beep. She handed back the card and looked expectantly at the cloaked companion.

"Jace Snider" he said, his voice was hard as steel. It took Glynda a moment to read through his background. It would appear he'd been born in Vacuo, growing up and having his primary education in Atlas. It also seemed he had a connection to Ironwood, but she'd look into that later.

"Age 22, graduated from Atlas basic and intermediate training?" she asked simply, Jace answering in an affirmative grunt. The dark skinned book reader was the last to go, he did not take off his small, circular rimmed, purple lensed glasses.

"Theo Aylan" he said quietly, his voice holding something like a subtle wisdom. Glynda's eye's widened when she saw his documents showed nothing part from his age and his body measurements.

"Excuse me but you have nothing on your record, could you elaborate?" she asked, interested in what he had to say.

"I come from the kingdom of Madiki, miss" his deep but quiet voice rumbled. Of course, that explained everything. Madiki was a fifth kingdom of Remnant by name but all it really was was a bunch of untamed wilderness and native tribes. Recently the grimm's influence in the kingdom had progressed alarmingly fast, many people in Atlas said the kingdom would be filled with grimm by the end of the year. She felt a pang of pity as she sent a message along with Theo's document to the database.

"Alright, thank you all for your cooperation, you may leave your luggage in the amphitheater, good luck to you all" she said in farewell, moving on to the next group. One thing bothered her though, how everyone in the group had something definitive about them except for the Marco Polo boy. He was normal as far as she could tell. Either way, only time, or rather the initiation would tell.

The group now stood in patient waiting, their unique silence broken by a loud yawn from Marco. "Man this thing hasn't even started yet and i'm already tired!" he exclaimed, yawning again.

_"_You _did _sleep the entire way here" Mason pointed out, Jace standing up straight from leaning on the lockers.

"_And __you_ kept us up all night because you couldn't hold in your excitement!" Jace said, taking an annoyed tone.

Marco shrugged with an unsympathetic grin, "Sorry man, you know how it is", Jace only grunted in reply. Marco put in an earbud, silently swinging his head and waiting for his time to shine. Theo pulled out a pocket watch from his vest pocket, regarding it for a moment before tucking it back in with a flick of his wrist. Mason put his sunglasses back on, his brows furrowing afterwards.

"Hey, Marco?" Mason asked, switching his gaze between Marco and the now reading Theo.

It took a moment for Marco to hear and answer him, "Sup, Mas?"

He glanced once more at Theo before asking; "Should we have told her Theo's blind?"

Meanwhile in the amphitheater Team's RWBY and JNPR sat together on the bleachers, occasionally glancing at the giant screen lowered for the junior's to view. Ruby and Yang talked animately on people they saw that might have a chance in the initiation. Blake had her nose in a book, only glancing up once in awhile to see if the screen had come to life. Weiss on the other hand sat silent and, well, bored. She didn't want to sit here for hours on end just to watch a bunch of newbies barely manage to dispatch their target then do a sloppy job in the second phase. At least she could silently chuckle at Nora annoying Rin to no end.

"Isn't this exciting Rin?! New Initiation, new people, awesome-battle-kick-butt-awesomeness!" she buzzed, Rin sighed.

"You said awesome twice, Nora" he informed, Nora stopping mid-rant with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh. I guess I did-Anyways!" she lit up again, talking at a lightning fast pace. He sighed again, wishing he had some food to shut her up with.

"How many initiates do you think will make it, Pyrrha?" Juane asked, Pyrrha seeming to think for a moment.

"From what I saw, I think, Twelve? Maybe." Pyrrha responded, Juane shrugged his shoulders and waited for the initiation to start.

On the raised stage sat Ospin, Glenda, and Ironwood, sitting around a set of their own screens.

"I don't see how this will be better, Ironwood" Ozpin said doubtingly, turning to a ruefully smiling Ironwood.

"It is Oz, I assure you" Ironwood said, leaning to his right to whisper to one of his men.

"Did you notice anything interesting in the locker rooms?" Ozpin asked Glynda, who simply handed him some paper documents.

"Marco polo? I've never see him, __should__I know him?" Ozpin inquired, Glynda thought she saw Ironwood narrow his eyes but it happened so fast she couldn't tell. She turned her attention to Ozpin, "No, he just struck me as odd is all" she said resigned. If Ozpin hadn't heard of him, he couldn't be bad news, she was sure of that. The Screens buzzed to life, the amphitheater falling silent. A blond boy appeared on the screen, sitting at a desk seeming to wait for a cue. His body gave a start when he realized the camera was rolling, immediately plastering a grin to his face.

"Welcome ladies and gents, im your announcer and fellow student John Micheals here to bring you a commentary for something awesome and exciting; the initiation!" John Micheals exclaimed, getting a light cheer from the juniors. Weiss sighed, hoping to whatever god controlled their fates that this wouldn't be a giant waste of time.


	2. Chapter 2

****Chapter Two: The Initiates Part One****

Ruby winced as she saw yet another of the thirty initiates have to be helped by Ironwood's men. The initiates were first launched into Emerald forest, where they basically had to walk along until encountering a Grimm. Then they would dispatch said Grimm and be escorted back by Ironwoods men who were spread out all along the forest. Of course only one initiate had succeeded in doing this thus far, and just by the skin of his teeth. The girl who had asked Ironwood how tough the Grimm's were immediately screamed and dropped to her knees crying at the site of one. Either they had a bad batch of initiates or there was some sort of flaw in the planning.

The initiates were being filmed by multiple dust powered camera's, John's chirpy commentary trying to add some water to the dry performance's of the initiates. Yang had a sour expression on her face, muttering "This was supposed to be exciting". Weiss held her head in her hands, wondering if it would be better if she just freezed her body with Myrtenaster and have Yang unfreeze her when this pitiful performance was over. Even Nora's excitement seemed dimmed. She now sat glumly next to Ren, occasionally whining about the lack of "kick-butt-action". Ren on the other hand was inwardly celebrating, happy that Nora was finally quieting down. Pyrrha sat patiently, seeming neither pleased or displeased by the sloppy performances of the new initiates.

"Wow, one initiate has made it through, quite impressive planning on your part, Ironwood" Glynda said sarcastically, glaring daggers at Ironwood. Ozpin looked just as disappointed but decided against saying anything.

"Patience, Glynda, I have confidence that __s____om____e __will make it through" Ironwood reassured, a suppressed laugh could be heard in his voice.

"Oh I sincerely hope you're taking this seriously James" Ozpin said, narrowing his eyes. Ironwood only raised an eyebrow in response, turning back to the screens.

Ozpin turned to Glynda who had a worried expression on her face. He gave her a reassuring smile, she rolled her eye's, returning her gaze to the screens, Ozpin didn't see the small smile on her face.

Two hours later everyone was just about at their wits end. Out of a whole twenty six initiates that had gone thus far, only four had made it through. Weiss had asked Yang to knock her unconscious, to which Yang said only if Ruby did the same to her. Ruby refused, saying she didn't want to watch it all alone. Blake had disappeared in a book, she hadn't looked at the screen for the past hour an a half. On the bright side she was probably going to have this book done by the end. Nora at this point had fallen asleep, to which Ren was rejoicing. Pyrrha donned a disappointed look while Juane had fallen asleep on Pyrrha's shoulder.

"Okay, I'm calling this off" Glynda said, storming up from her chair and towards one of Ironwood's captain's. Ironwood grabbed her by her hand, his eye's hard and serious.

"This separates the soldiers from the weaklings Glynda, you __will__thank me for this later" his voice just as hard as Jace's. She wretched her hand from him, giving him an icy glare before cooly sitting back down.

"They are children, James, not soldiers" Ozpin said quietly.

"That much is becoming apparent" Ironwood said harshly.

"Alright ladies and gents, don't lose hope yet! We still have four more initiates, four more possible students of Beacon Academy!" John cried. No one shared his excitement.

"Next up we've got a Theo Aylen, who hails from the Madiki kingdom!" John introduced, this announcement catching more than a few eyes. Blake finally looked up from her book, "Aylen means happiness in Pion language" she murmured, her Amber eye's catching a spark of interest. Weiss knew about the Mediki kingdom, her daddy's friends had often complained about not being able to mine dust there due to the "hostile natives". _T___his might actually be interesting__Weiss thought, her eye's now glued to the screen. Pyrrha shrugged Juane awake who snorted and looked around wildly before realizing where he was. "Ah this isn't over yet?! Why'd you even wake me up?!" he cried angrily, to which she simply pointed at the screen and said "Watch". Nora, seeming to sense the excitement filling the room immediately burst awake, beginning to fire questions off one after another at Ren. He sighed before saying, "Just watch the screen, Nora".

Theo stepped onto the grassy outcrop, stopping just before the launchpad. What he wore probably seemed strange to the onlookers, after all he wasn't dressed in his tribes unique apparel. He wore black dress shoes and pants, matching the black vest and bow tie he wore. Beneath the vest was a white button up shirt, it's sleeve's were rolled up to reveal two arm crossbow's loaded with what looked like drum magazines. His brown dreadlocks were kept in a tight ponytail, the one feature, other than his dark skin, that showed his heritage. He took off his small purple,lensed glasses, revealing white milky eyes, tucking the glasses into his vest pocket. He took one deep breath before stepping onto the platform, being launched into the air with an audible _whoosh._

Meanwhile in the amphitheater chatter was becoming louder and louder. Weiss silently admired how well dressed the guy was, while Blake narrowed her eye's, __those eye's, could it be___?..._"You're not going to believe this ladies and gents but we were just informed that Theo Aylen is blind!" John cried dramatically, an audible gasp broke the chatter in the theater. "Are you serious?! He's gonna get wrecked!" Juane cried, Pyrra furrowed her eyebrows before raising them in realization. __He must use his aura to outline the objects and things around him!__she realized, turning to Ren who she saw was having the same exact thoughts. "I think this just got __a lot__more fun" Yang said, all traces of sourness gone. "Yay, time for some action!" Ruby cheered, leaning forward in the bleacher.

"He's __what___?!"_Ozpin exclaimed, shooting to his feet. "Calm down Oz, can't you see he's using his aura to see?" James said, nodding towards the screen. James was right, Theo landed in a leafy clearing with practiced grace. Ozpin sighed in relief before sitting back down, glancing at a scowling Glynda. She was going to get those boys later for not telling her about his apparent blindness.

Back on the battlefield Theo walked along slowly, his head moving from side to side surveying the area. He stopped when he heard rustling, the crunching of leafs stopped with him. Then he heard a cry of inhuman rage, a Boarbatusk charging from the bushes. It was no more than ten feet away when Theo sprang into action. He shot off four crossbow bolts, the Boarbatusk roared in pain and stumbled. Theo's brown aura was now leaking off him like smoke, even giving his eye's a brownish tint. Two bone knives seemingly appeared out of no where and into his hands, both stabbing into the Boarbatusk's neck. With a heave Theo lifted the grimm over his head smashing it to the ground with a deafening crack. He straightened, the knives gone from his hands.

The apmhitheater was silent before erupting into cheers and shouts of victory. Weiss was open mouthed, her battle with a boarbatush hadn't gone nearly as smooth as this. Blake was fully reeled in now. The knives were especially interesting, considering they appeared to be made of Grimm bones. "He didn't even have to go for the belly" Ruby murmured, Yang only cheered in enthusiasm. Nora cheered similarly, though much louder and demanding more. For once Ren was too interested in something else to be annoyed by Nora's banter. He'd come to the same realization as Pyrrha had but built upon it. To keep from bumping into things and "see" he most likely had to use his aura 24/7, which meant he had a __tremendous __amount of aura. Like, the kind of aura that grimms could sense from fifty miles away. __Just who is that guy___? _Ren thought, his magenta eye's narrowing in curiosity. Juane sat, mouth agape, looking completely stupefied by what he'd witnessed. Pyrrha sat back with a smile, things were finally starting to heat up.

"Haha! I knew we'd have some good ones!" Ironwood exclaimed, Ozpin shook his head at the outburst but smiled as he did so.

"He shows exceptional ability, I think putting him in year two would be best" Glynda remarked, already typing away on her scroll.

"Yes, he is certainly very capable, I wonder how his three other companions will fair?" Ozpin questioned.

"Oh wait! The battle isn't done yet my fellow students, looks like he has three more Boarbatusk to dispose of! Will it prove too much? Or nothing but a walk in the park for our very skilled Theo Aylen!" John yelled, the adults whipping their heads back to the screens.

John was right, three boarbatusk now circled Theo who stood very still, a bone sword now hanging his right hand. It looked to be part of a Grimm's spine, the two knives had looked like Ursa major teeth. One leaped up, rolling toward Theo at top speed. With lightning fast reflexes he flipped over the rolling grimm, shooting back down with a burst of brown aura. The monster was run through with a sickening __slice__. Another yelled in rage, ramming it's head in the ground before charging. Theo pulled the elongated triggers six times, the unfortunate grimm getting two bolts in the eyes and front legs. It tripped over a tree root and launched into the air, Theo cutting it in half with his sword as it passed over head. It exploded in a smokey spray, leaving Theo with only one opponent. Despite it's hunger the Boarbatusk knew when to run and began sprinting out of the clearing, away from the killer of his kin. He only got five feet before two bone knives turned his vision black, one hitting his leg and tripping him up while the other stuck in his now face up belly. Theo stood still for a few more moments, deciding that the area was now safe. He put on his glasses, allowing Ironwood's men to escort him back to the start, though he clearly didn't need it. The bone weapons were mysteriously gone from the now dissipating carcases, the darkness swept away by the breeze.

The amphitheater was once again stunned with silence before going more berzerk than they did before. "Can you believe it ladies and gents?! Theo Aylen took out four boarbatusk without any help and without a single scratch! __And __he's blind for god's sake! Talk about a revival to today's initiation, something tells me the shows just getting started!"

Blake's mind was racing with suspicion and awe. __There's no way just a normal initiate can be that good, there has to be something i'm missing!__Blake decided she'd keep a close eye on him, to determine what his purpose was at Beacon. Weiss on the other hand was in complete awe, but she'd be lying if she said the whole bone sword thing wasn't a bit creepy. "__Now__he hit the belly!" Ruby cried in glee, Yang cheered even more furiously than she did before. Nora had made a flag out of a ruler and a piece of paper, waving it around while yelling "More bloodshed! More fun!_More__!_". She then turned to Ren, asking if there was any food she could munch on, or if they could go get some together, but not together __together__, just together in the friendly kind-of way. Ren wasn't listening to a single word, thinking about another revelation. __Grim bones can pen____a____trate grimm armor! But wait, usually their bones melt into smoke before you can even touch them, how does he have three weapons made of them? ___Ren_ realized he had a lot of questions to ask this Theo character. "Well, that was unexpected" Juane said with a fearful undertone, Pyrrha's smile of satisfaction grew even wider. Humanity, no, __Remnant__was in desperate need of light, and it seemed Theo had plenty of it to go around.

"Now if only all the soldier's in my army were like that, grimm wouldn't even exist today!" Ironwood exclaimed, the admiration in his voice hard to miss.

"Yes because your army kills __so __many grimm" Glynda muttered sarcastically, though sharing the same admiration.

"You know, this may not have been completely worthless, James" Ozpin said with a smirk, James grinned.

"You know Oz, I think you might be right" Ironwood agreed, excitement in his eye's as he looked back to the screen.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three: The Initiates part Part Two**_

"Alright everyone the next initiate is ready to go! Please welcome Marco Polo who hales from our very own Vale city!" John said, the students of beacon once again facing the screen after the short intermission.

Marco breathed in deeply, grinning at the forest before him. His combat "outfit", was much more laid back and casual than Theo's. Hawaiian shorts and open toed sandals covered his lower half, exposing his moderately tanned skin. He wore a faded green jacket, a logo on the back depicted a glass soda bottle fizzing with liquid, two golden words below it read; "__Jugg Me___"_.He wore a black shirt under it that read _"___Deal with it___" _in white. He pulled out his earbuds, putting them in and cranking the volume as high as it would go. With an almost maniacal laugh he did a backflip onto the launch pad, propelling backwards with sounds of childish glee.

"So he's the one you were struck by?" Ironwood asked Glynda, who nodded silently.

"Seems a bit wild to me" Ozpin commented mildly, James laughed.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that it's only going to go uphill from here, Oz" James said, watching Marco fall heavily into the forest, taking several trees down with him.

Marco jumped right back off, running at break neck speed, his green aura trailing behind him. His grin had turned malicious, a look of "blood lust" as John had called it. Branches and Tree's groaned as two Major Ursa came running on Marco's tail, just trailing behind his green aura. Marco laughed happily, suddenly stopping. The two Ursa skidded to a stop, confused when they saw Marco had disappeared. Only when they heard his laugh did they realize he was above, by then it was too late. Coming down on the left one's jaw, Marco's teeth shown when he heard a satisfying __crack___. _The major Ursa swayed back, moaning in pain, the other Ursa going to bat Marco away. It roared in pain, it's now broken paw dangling uselessly in the air. "You call this a challenge?! I'm just getting started!" he proclaimed, his green aura mysteriously turning into green fire, surrounding him, almost as if it was a living thing. The Ursa with a broken jaw lashed out with both it's paw's, only for Marco to dodge and give it two more devastating fire punches, knocking it to the ground. The other attempted to snap at Marco with his jaws, proving to be the death of it. Marco did a front flip, bringing down a fire covered leg onto it's skull. It smashed into the ground, it's head exploding into black smoke. The other was attempting to rise, Marco grimaced. He effortessly tugged out a bone spike from the Ursa he killed, throwing it like a spear to the almost risen Ursa. The spike passed through it's neck, pinning it to the ground. Marco stood between his victories, yelling "Woohoo!" before racing back towards the locker rooms and past a bewildered squad of Ironwood's men.

Marco sauntered into the locker rooms, his fingers pointing to the message of his shirt. Jace spoke first, "Overconfident jackass" he praised, the smile audible in his voice. "You did a great job as always" Mason said softly, smiling. "Thanks Mas" Marco said affectionately, tussling the younger teens crimson hair. He gave Theo a Knuckle bump before sprawling out on a bench. A nervous staff member of Beacon came to the entrance, "U-um Jace Snider, you're up next" she bleated out. Jace still hadn't taken off his cloak. Marco thumped him on the back, "Go get 'em tiger" Marco encouraged, winking. He snorted before crossing the threshold, giving a gloved wave farewell.

Yang had decided she liked Marco, his grin was infectious, his power was __godly__, he was cute as a button, lord she __had__to get his scroll code when this was done. Weiss was wide eyed and speechless, he'd taken on two __major__Ursa's by himself and only with his __fist___. _The fire looked pretty awesome too, she had to admit. Pyrrha looked shaken, coming to a conclusion she didn't think was possible. __That fire, that was his semblance. But there was so much, it's almost unthinkable to think he used that much without even looking winded, there has to be something we don't know, there has to be!__Blake's mind was blank. She decided it was going to stay that way until she processed all the unbelievable information and organized it when she wasn't so awe-struck and baffled. Juane was full admiration for the guy. While he had barely managed to take one out on his own this guy took two out with his fist like someone would swat a fly! He contemplated asking the guy for an autograph. Ruby had stars in her eyes, she was gonna find this guy and ask him __how __you went about killing grimm with your fist. For once, Nora was speechless with wonder. Ren was not excited for when she decided to talk again. When she did her words would blur together into one giant monologue of gibberish that even he couldn't understand. The antics of these last initiates were simply too much, he could have sworn he felt his brain short circuiting when he saw Marco's semblance.

The staff on the raised arena were speechless for the first time that initiation. No one said anything for the first few moments, the silence filled with so much excitement it was tangible.

"We need to talk to these gifted youngsters after all of this is done" Ozpin asserted, Ironwood and Glynda nodded in silent agreement. Glynda pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose, preparing herself for the next initiate with a sniff and shift in her chair.

"Alright ladies and gents! After that mind boggling performance we have yet another! This guy goes by Jace Snider, who was born in Vacuo and came here to Beacon from Atlas! Lets see if he's just as good as the others!" John announced after yet another intermission. Weiss furrowed her brow, that name sounded slightly familiar but she just couldn't put a name on it.

Ironwood's face suddenly turned stony, he then took out his scroll and typed a message. "What did you just did Ironwood?!" Glynda asked sharply, who gave a knowing smile, "You'll see" he replied. Ozpin narrowed his eye's suspiciously, "What __did__you do James?" Ozpin asked, but he only got silence in return.

Jace reached deep into his cloak, pulling out out a silver lighter and cigarette. The lighter had a carved symbol on it that depicted two white fangs with blood dripping off them. He lit the cigarette, taking a drag. Letting the smoke out, his cloaked head turned slightly, as if to watch the smoke disappear into the air. He then stepped onto the platform, being launched away into the deceiving beautiful green sea.

He landed on his feet, taking one more drag before discarding the cigarette, snuffing it out with his shining black military boot. He was in a large grassy clearing, a cliff was to his right. He looked over the edge, looking to gauge the distance below. He stopped moving when he heard a low growl behind him. He slowly turned around to see a giant Tikiasa grimm-tiger hiss, it's two oversized fangs glinting. It resembled a sabertooth tiger, it's coat black with red dots. It's eye's a menacing shade of emerald Jace slowly walked forward, stopping when he was directly across from it. Then they began to pace in a circle around each other; the stand off had begun.

Glynda stood up in her chair, fear filled her green orbs. "What have you done Ironwood?!" she cried, her hand reaching for her riding crop. Ozpin shot out of his seat, quickly calming Glynda before turning to James with deep seated anger. "This was not authorized, _James_" he said, his voice a deadly quiet. Ironwood simply pointed to the screen, "Watch" he instructed, silencing once more. The two concerned hunters sat back down, hoping that for once Ironwood knew what he was doing.

They had stopped pacing, the Tikiasa now stood with the cliff to it's back, Jace, the forest. Jace had also removed his Traveling cloak, revealing a one eyed predator that was every bit as dangerous as the one that stood before him. His left eye was closed shut, a jagged scar running down it and much of his face. A black scarf scarf covered his mouth and nose, the black cloth billowing silently in the wind. His other eye showed signs of surgery, damaged, red skin surrounding a ghostly blue robotic eye. His outfit was shown to be a high grade military desert ops uniform, a black "Phoenix" combat jacket and pants covering his body. Tight padding layered the chest, back and outer arms, as well as the front and back of his legs. The jacket was one sleeved, revealing Jace's left arm to be a metallic bionic one. A lever action shotgun was strapped to his back, a silver hilted hunting sword sheathed on his left side. The Tikiasa was getting bored, it'd sized up it's enemy, it was ready to dance. With a loud growl it launched forward, fangs hungering for blood.

She remembered now! Yes! Weiss had heard her own father talk about him, he'd said; "Ironwood's got his young lapdog Snider doing all his dirty work, killing people he no longer needs, making people "disappear", hell James has a walking weapon at his side!". Of course Daddy was drunk and hadn't known she was there but that was besides that point. Though the Tikiasa scared her, for Professer Port had never shown them this grimm. She wasn't the only one feeling the apprehension, the entire amphitheater stank of it. Though there was also a subtle excitement, however small.

Jace started running towards the Tikiasa, his face unreadable. He fired off three shots of his shotgun, pulling out his hunting sword when he realized it only made it more agitated. It leapt at him, Jace sliding under the attack. Jace had managed to nick the Tikiasa in it's hindleg, the beast roared in anger. They now stood opposite of their previous spots, Jace back to the cliff, the Tikiasa, to the woods. They ran toward eachother again, the grimm's wound not slowing it down. Jace suddenly jumped up, slamming the ground with his bionic arm. It was like a small earthquake the very ground split under the strike, the cracks swiftly branching to the approaching grimm. The Tikiasa was about to lunge but was thrown into the air, a pillar of earth had emerged from the cracks, sending the beast flying. With a dull __thud__it landed on the dirt, slowly getting up, shaking it's head to clear it. It was too late, Jace was already upon it. Placing two well aimed shotgun blast, the Tikiasa fell, it's right front and back legs nothing more than stubs. It's roar of pain was high pitched, sounding like a squealing pig. It attempted to scratch him with its remaining front paw, only for the pitiful attempt to be kicked away by Jace. Without a moment of hesitation his silver hilted hunting sword plunged into the neck of the beast, twisting it forcefully, the head slowly rolling off. Without missing a beat he cleaned the blood off his sword with the now disintegrating grimm's fur, sheathing it with a masterful figure eight. He dressed back into his discarded travel cloak and glove, walking briskly back to toward the locker rooms. Ironwoods men could barely keep up with him.

Ironwood smiled in satisfaction, "The true master piece of Atlas's military, Jace Snider" he said, a smug look on his face.

"Don't tell me, James, what have you done?!" Ozpin shouted, rising from his chair, anger burning in his eyes.

"What I had to do to ensure this worlds chances of survival!" Ironwood shouted back, getting out of his chair with such force it fell with a loud __bang__. Ozpin sat back down very slowly, his eye's facing forward.

"You will leave the grounds with your men as soon as this is all over, you're not welcome to the feast" Ozpin said coldly, staring ahead at the screen. Glynda raised an eyebrow. Ozpin usually never got angry, but she could see why he burst out like that. Ozpin hated things like that being done to children, especially ones who had no choice in the matter. Ironwood stiffly re-took his seat, adjusting his white suit before continung to watch.

"I won't apologize for your lack of drive for progress, Oz" James tried, getting a venomous glare from Ozpin.

"If this is progress then I want none of it, if thats what it takes then I'd rather perish with the grimm!" he snarled, tapping his cane in an agitated pattern.

"Well, when my men win battles against grimm and your __hunters___ and _are getting slaughtered, you might just start to reconsider" Ironwood pressed.

"__Enough__, Ironwood, either shut that insufferable mouth of yours or leave now!" she said sternly, her look enough to make him back down and settle in his seat.

"Such ferocity! Such bravery! That seems to be Jace's trademark! Impressive just like the rest! After the break our last initiate will go, completing phase one!" John exclaimed, the screen falling silent but the amphitheater barely noticing its absence in volume. Weiss touched her scar, he had a scar just like hers on his left eye. It made her feel a strange sense of connection, but then her logic came knocking it all down. __Get ahold of yourself Weiss! It was just a coincidence, and considering his skill I'll probably never see him again___. _Even still, she still felt like she __had __to see him. Ren leaned back in his chair, stretching. It felt like he'd been in here forever, it'd been almost three hours ever since the first initiate was launched into emerald forest. He had to admit, he liked Jace's style. It was predatory, like he would follow his prey to the ends of the earth. Nora had actually fainted from being too excited, completely missing Jace's battle. Ren looked down at his unconscious friend, __sometimes I just don't get it __he thought fondly, taking off his jacket and setting it over her. Blake had watched Weiss as she paid uncharacteristically close attention to Jace's battle, storing it in her ever growing list of information-she'd-need-to-sort-through-later-as-in-that-night. Maybe she'd even do a bit of recon, the thought got her heart beating. She made sure not to let it show, though it didn't matter anyways, considering everyone was wrapped up in their own thoughts.

At this point Ruby just wanted to meet them, ask how they were all so capable, so __good__at what they did. Yang's thoughts were still on Marco, creating an overly-complicated plan to subtly get Marco's scroll code without looking like a total creep. Juane was envious of the initiates skill at first but after seeing that completely expressionless face all negative feelings fled. Jace looked so __broken___,_despite doing so well.

Pyrrha looked at Juane, wondering what his empathetic expression was for. She knew one thing was for sure. Things at Beacon were going to change. Mysteries like them never stayed mysteries for long.


	4. Chapter 4

_****Chapter Four: The Initiates Part ****_****3****

"Alright everyone we're back! This last initiate will be the last of the batch, ending phase one! His name is Mason Maniger who comes from Atlas but graduated Signal just last year!" John introduced, a helper suddenly dashed on screen. After whispering in his ear and darting back off screen John faced the audience, his face a mix of surprise and shock. "Alright-oh-oh my! Everyone, Mason Maniger is also a half-grimm!" John announced effectively setting the amphitheater on fire with nervousness and fear. Ruby wracked her brain for what her uncle Qrow had taught her about half-grimms. There weren't many of them, and the ones that existed were normally man made. Did that mean?..__Oh no __Ruby thought, feeling empathy for the half-grimm that had yet to appear.

"A half-grimm?! Jesus Ozpin what're you playing at?!" Ironwood exclaimed, Ozpin giving him a look of pure confusion.

"Excuse me? James, I have no idea what you're talking about" Ozpin looked to Glynda for an explanation.

"Marco Polo is his liscensed caretaker, Ironwood" Glynda explained, Ironwood slowly settling back in his seat.

"If he makes one wrong move, I'm calling my men on him" Irownwood, Glynda only rolled her eye's.

"No, you'll let Marco Polo handle it, and if he can't handle it,__then___ you _may you take action" Ozpin said with finality, Ironwood sighing with resignation.

"You're gonna be fine Mas, I promise, if anything happens I'll be there, alright?" Marco comforted, a nervous Mason standing just before the threshold.

"What if I mess up?" Mason mumbled, his eyes staring straight ahead. Jace snorted, "Then we'll beat the shit out of whoever points it out" he said, making Mason smile.

"This place is for making mistakes and learning from them, be at peace, Mason" Theo reassured, his rich voice seeming to finally convince Mason. He stood up straight, walking through the door to the darkened skies.

He stood before the launch pad, seeming to take in his surroundings. The sky was dark, stars twinkling down at him. He smiled at them, the brightness reflecting in his red eye's. A light rain began to drizzle down, to which Mason closed his eyes, allowing the rain to run down his pale complexion. He wore a black trench coat, a black tank top under it, black pants, and old black boots which were completely untied. With a sigh of pure contentment he stepped onto the launch pad, flying silently into the darkness of early night.

Back in the amphitheater the lamps had been turned on, giving it a cozy, almost sleepy kind of look. Staff members handed out food, as well as blankets and pillows for those who requested them. Ruby munched on a drumstick, her thoughts turning over what she'd seen thus far. He seemed like an incredibly nice individual, also looking like someone who enjoyed nature and the things around him. She also liked the fact that he had her color's, red and black.

"Kinda seem's like ah hibbie to meh" Yang remarked, her mouth full of food. "A hippie?" Ruby asked, Yang nodding before taking another bite of chicken. Ruby snorted, "Just 'cause he's not going out guns blazing like that Marco guy doesn't mean he's a hippie" Ruby countered, Yang swallowed before speaking. "Ten lien you're wrong" she bet, Ruby spitting in her hand and holding it out, Yang spit her in her own hand and shook it. "Barbarians" Weiss muttered, only to get a chicken drumstick in the face. "That was uncalled for!" she proclaimed, accidentally tripping over Blake at an attempt to swat Ruby. Ruby started giggling, and before they knew it they were all laughing .

"Wow, talk about a carefree guy, kinda wish I could be like that with my homework" Juane joked, Pyrrha looking thoughtful with a drumstick in either hand. Juane burst out in laughter, wishing he could have taken a picture of the moment. She looked confused but then turned ashen when she realized he was laughing at her. He finally stopped laughing, wishing he could take a picture of her cute, embarrassed face. __Wait, did I seriously just think that___? _he wondered, a light blush dusting his own cheeks. Ren had now covered his sleeping childhood friend with a pillow and blanket, digging into a nutritious salad of his own design. He decided he liked Mason's air of serenity, it reminded him a fraction of himself.

Mason walked along, hand's in his coat pockets, humming a soft tune to himself. The forest seemed to be get even darker, the floating dust powered cameras switching to night vision mode. Mason continued to hum, all signs of apprehensiveness having disappeared. He then saw a glowing ball of light, stopping in his tracks. He heard the Deathstalker's thoughts, _D___efend! ____D____efend! ____D____efend! __Mason tuned out the grimm, he knew Deathstalkers were territorial creatures, not going out of their way to kill a human unless they had an overpowering aura. He lifted his right hand out of his pocket, small golden like orbs slowly bleeding out, surrounding the area with soft glowing light.

"Weiss look at the sparkles!" Ruby cried, Weiss couldn't help but smile at her friends excitement. "Yes, Ruby, I'm not blind you know" she sassed, Ruby only got more excited, "Look theres more they're so cute and awesome and-oh" she stopped mid rant, seeing as the globes of light had exploded all around the Deathstalker. Nora snorted before awakening, "Fireworks!" she exclaimed, the bowl of soup Ren had saved for her spilling over him. "Nora!" he yelled, the said troublemaker running with glee as Ren chase after her.

"Well he's intruiging" Ironwood stated, Ozpin and Glynda nodded in silent agreement.

"An interesting semblance as well" Ozpin added quietly, observing Mason closely, one hand on his cane and the other holding his chin. Glynda watched along, hoping that Mason would keep himself in control.

Three white spikes appeared on his left forearm, some sort of cannon formed in place of his right arm. The death stalker immediately honed in with its stinger, Mason catching it in his right arm. Three shots of the cannon and the stinger was off, Mason drop kicking it football style. Orange light shot from his feet, propelling Mason onto it's back. With another burst of light he jumped off, the force crushing the grimm into the ground. He blasted off several more shots, rolling down with increasing speed. Like the sound of clay breaking Mason landed on the things spine, his spikes deeply impaled in it's armored back. He once again let out a spew of golden particles, lighting his walk back to the locker rooms. He frowned, noticing that he'd forgotten to pull up his sleeves, three gaping holes in his left sleeve.

Ruby started giggling when she saw him frown at his coat, Yang had handed her ten lien. "That was "__a-mas-ing__" Yang joked, pausing for a moment. She was only met with silence, sighing in defeat at her failed pun. Weiss was celebrating inwardly until she realized there was still phase two, making her groan. "Was the ice cream too much?" Blake joked, only getting a glare in reply.

"Alright ladies and gents time to give a warm welcome to our successful initiates, wooo!" John cheered, the dust powered screen moving away to reveal the raised stage. On it stood the eight successful initiates, Ozpin stood behind them, a cup of coffee in one hand a cane in the other.

"Thank you all, for being patient with this procedure, it seems we didn't realize how much time it would take" Ozpin apologized, giving a pointed look at Ironwood.

"First things first, teams must be decided" Ozpin started, taking a sip of his coffee. "Carlo Ras, Ariel Clo, Rango Kan, Darren Mathews, you will be known as team CARD, your leader being Carlo Ras" Ozpin announced, the four tired looking initiates nodding in thanks.

"Initiates Marco Polo, Jace Snider, Theo Aylen, Mason Maniger, you will be known as team MJTM, Marco Polo being your leader" Ozpin finished, Marco grinning wide. Marco slapped Mason on the back, a whispered "Good Job" making him smile. Jace did not remove his hood nor Mason his sunglasses. "Team MJTM will also be moved to the second year" Ozpin added, Glynda nodded approvingly.

"Yay new friends!" Nora cheered mid-run, Ren only shook his head, having become too tired to catch her. "Please go back to the locker rooms and wait for phase two" Glynda directed, team CARD walking in a hurried pace towards the large oak doors of the amphitheater. Team MJTM took their time, walking slow, exchanging bits of chatter, seeming oblivious to the many stares directed to them. Weiss moved over on her bench, trying to listen without being detected. It turns out her team had the same idea, feeling the weight of her three friends on her shoulder. "What are you-" she was shushed by Blake, who had a finger to her lips.

"-why is Ironwood here-"

"-that was fun-"

"-reminds me of the old days-"

"-what's phase two going to be like?-"

"-nothing we can't handle-"

"-you never know, Ironwood did pull a fast one on you-"

"-just like the old bastard-"

The group of four then left the amphitheater, leaving the girls with more questions than answers.

After a half an hour break a lot of the students were asleep, seeing as they'd been in the amphitheater all afternoon, it was nearing seven o'clock and the feast hadn't even begun.__I would think being a general, Ironwood would be better at planning and time management! __Weiss thought, wishing her growling stomach would just be silent. "It's okay Weiss, we're almost done!" Ruby comforted, as if sensing her discomfort. Well they all could look better.

Ruby's hair was sticking out in all directions from short naps she'd taken in between breaks. Yang had unbuttoned her white shirt, her jacket discarded as well. There wasn't really anything noticeable about Blake other than the tired look adopted on her fair features. Weiss on the other hand was slouched, holding her chin up with the palm of her hand. It wasn't proper but she didn't care, she almost wished she had as much energy as Ruby or Nora.

Blake couldn't read, she was too tired, plus her thoughts were milling about, formulating a way to gather information on team MJTM. Meanwhile Yang had finally made what she thought was a solid plan to get Marco's scroll code, even if he didn't have one yet. That detail was unimportant. __With this body and, well, me, he'll find the offer irresistible!___s_he thought, Ruby raising an eyebrow at her sister's confident smirk. She __really __wanted to know more about them. She played with the idea of calling a team meeting to discuss a plan of action. "They seem nice enough" Pyrrha commented, careful to not let Juane hear the excitement in her voice. One thing that she was sure that even her team didn't know about her was that she liked a challenge. Putting all of your skills to use and stretching your brain to it's limits, it reminded her of her treasured memories back home.

"Jace should have been leader" Ironwood remarked quietly, the sealed off stage silent. Ozpin was now on his third cup of coffee, meeting Ironwood's opinion with silence.

"Why's that?" Glynda asked, curious of his reasons.

"He has military experience" Ironwood stated, Glynda about raised an eyebrow. She was about to lecture him, saying how military experience didn't mean he'd be a good leader, when Ironwood continued.

"The village he grew up in Vacou was a highly militarized compound, he was raised on our ethics and values" Ironwood continued, Glynda still not seeing where he was going with this.

"Or did you shove them down his throat?" Ozpin asked, Ironwood only cleared his throat before keeping on.

"In multiple missions he's always been the team leader, every time he would complete the objective with outstanding results, I feel as if he would have been the wiser choice" Ironwood finally finished. Ozpin sat a moment in thought, taking a sip of coffee before replying.

"While you do have good points, my insticts tell me Marco is fit to lead. Did you not see how he drew them in like moths to a flame?" Ozpin inquired, Ironwood thinking back to just a few minutes before. Ozpin was right, despite Marco's obvious strength the three always stood in a protective circle around him. He also noticed how much they enjoyed each other's company, exchanging laughs and light banter as if no one else was there.

"I suppose you're right, Oz" Ironwood conceded, Oz smiling in victory, tapping a much happier tune on his cane.

"We did it guys!" Marco exclaimed happily, entering the locker rooms. "Half of it" Jace corrected, taking a seat on the bench. He noticed team CARD, who stood as far away from them as the room would allow. Too bad, he would've liked a challenge. Mason also noticed, taking off his sunglasses he walked over to them. "Hello, I'm Mason Maniger, I wish you the best of luck" Mason introduced, the rival team being caught completely off guard. "Huh?" Carlos said, dumbly shaking Mason's outstretched hand. "Get away from him, freak!" the girl, Ariel, screeched in fear. Without missing a beat he turned on his heel, giving a short wave in farewell, and a particularly sinister wink in the girl's direction.

Jace let out an angry breath, eyeing the girl from under his cloak. "Fear makes people desperate, keep an eye on her" Jace advised. "That won't be too hard for you" Marco joked, receiving a playful swat from Jace. Mason ran his hand through his bright hair. He fondly remembered when he and Marco had first met, Marco giving him the name "lil red" until Mason had told him his real name. He was nervous and shy when he was younger, Marco had helped with that, among many other things. "Teams, please make your way to the clearing" one of Ironwoods captains commanded, the two teams making there way to the now rainy battlefield.


	5. Chapter 5

****Chapter Five: Phase Two****

"Alright everyone finally phase two has arrived! It's pretty straight forward, both teams fight their way through Emerald Forest, getting Ozpin's chosen relic, a beacon flag, before dashing back to where they started! This is your classmate John Micheals, ready to give you tip top commentary, and it looks like the teams are getting ready to launch off!" John excitedly announced, it seemed as if he had enough excitement for the entire student body.

Weiss wondered about the half-grimm, __will he be a hazard for Beacon? Isn't he a ticking time bomb?__ "Crushing on one of them already?" Blake asked, Weiss broken out of her thoughts. "No! I'm just wondering why they haven't escorted the half-grimm out yet!" Weiss exclaimed indignantly, making Ruby frown. "Weiss? You don't even know him, what if he's nice?" Ruby asked lightly, hoping she wouldn't just be egging her on. She was wrong in her thoughts, Weiss opening her mouth to lecture-only to be silenced by Yang's arm over her slender shoulders. "Come on princess, lay off him will ya? He hasn't done anything wrong" Yang defended, Weiss backing off with a huff before retaking her seat. Blake raised an eyebrow. Sometimes she truly disliked the racist side to Weiss but she'd certainly gotten better over the past school years, not turning up her nose to every Faunus they passed was a plus. Blake did see where Weiss was coming from. Having a half-grimm that wasn't in control of their powers in a populated idea was a gamble many weren't willing to take.

Meanwhile Team MJTM and CARD stood before the eight launchers, readying their equipment and awaiting the starting bell. Due to the darkness each initiate had been given a flare gun. If a teammate was injured or needed assistance they were instructed to shoot into the air and await help from Ironwood's men. "Like hell I'll need his help" Jace growled, still pocketing the gun in one of the many pouches on his belt. "Yo Mas, you see the flag?" Macro asked Mason, who was squinting into the darkness. "Yes, to the left, almost at the end. It's on some sort of bridge" Mason answered, Marco nodded and grinned. Jace gave a sidelong glance to the other team, "This isn't going to be a challenge" Jace dismissed, making Carlo done a scowl. "I think the challenge will lie with what's in the forest" Theo pointed out, readying his hand bows. One of Ironwood's officers marched over, stopping just between the two teams. He raised his hand, a revolver in hand. "All teams ready!" he shouted, the eight initiates preparing for launch. "All teams,_go__!_" he shouted once again, the teams shot off into the darkness at the sound of the pistol.

"Expected outcome?" James asked Ozpin. Ozpin put down his mug, his hand's folding together.

"Well not to be biased but team MJTM has an overwhelming advantage" Ozpin replied, Ironwood nodding in agreement.

"Well I'm sure we're in for a show, regardless of how good or bad each team is" Glynda remarked, the three keeping faces forward toward the screens.

The two teams were now racing towards the flag, MJTM ahead by half a football field. All four were using their aura to increase their speed. Green, orange, brown, and silver streaks lighting the darkness. A small cloud of glowing balls also surrounded them and team CARD, courtesy of Mason. Marco and Mason smashed through the Beowolf's and Ursa's with fiery fist and white spikes. Theo shot off two more bolts, two cries of Beowolf emerging shortly after. Jace gave Theo a short series of hand gestures before breaking off from the group, heading towards a trapped team CARD.

Four Beowolves surrounded the team, a terrified Ariel screamed and dropped her knife. Suddenly two __cracks __broke the tense silence, two Beowolves remained. One more __crack __and hunting sword through the neck left no more Beowolves. "__Move__" Jace commanded venomously, speeding back to his team. Team CARD got up, a competitive edge in their eyes. Jace had just given them a chance, they were going to take it.

The camera's had turned to infrared mode, the viewers still able to see the two teams with crystal clarity. "Wow look at team MJTM go! They're breezing through, Jace even assisting team CARD!" John announced excitedly, the students looking along just as excitedly. It was clear the four initiates had worked together as a team before, seamless support and silent communication giving way to flawless results. "I __gotta __find out how to lead like him" Ruby swooned. "Teamwork like that isn't all about the leader, Ruby" Blake reminded, Ruby smiling sheepishly. "Sorry Blake, they're just so good!" she exclaimed. "And if we train hard enough, we can be better" Weiss said loftily.

"I think we should definitely make sure that we make friends with them" Juane decided, fearully thinking of what would happen if they became enemies. Pyrrha put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, sensing his fear. "Don't worry Juane, you're capable and becoming even better every day, don't drag yourself down" she reassured, Juane giving a smile in thanks. "Ren! We should totally become friends with them, how cool would that be?! We could all fight grimm together and be totally kick butt and dominate everyone!" Nora blabbered excitedly, Ren sighed, per usual. "Nora, we're not here to dominate everyone" Ren pointed out. Nora wasn't even listening, still going on about going on a happy killing spree as an eight person team. Ren certainly didn't mind the notion of becoming friends with the four, they all seemed terribly intriguing as well as good allies to have. Yang __really__wanted that scroll code.

"Woohoo!" Mason shouted, his fist cracking yet another Ursa skull. "Could you at least try to take this seriously?!" Jace shouted in annoyance, letting off two __cracks__of Dawnbringer. The ground began shaking, a King Taijitu slithering through trees and whatever else lay in it's path. Marco jumped high into the air, glowing lights forming rapidly at his free hand. One head lunged for Theo, Marco's fist came down, the head slamming tot he ground. It's other head went for Jace, to which it got an explosive punch from his bionic arm. Jace's flesh hand glowed a silver light before a volley of silver light spears rained down, pinning the grimm to the ground. Two cannon shots from Mason and the King Taijitu was no more. Team MJTM moved on, Team Card following close behind.

"How about that semblance?" James asked cockily, Glynda only rolled her eye's.

"Is that even _his_ or did you implant it in him?" Ozpin asked, James coughed and righted his red tie.

"No, that is indeed his semblance" James answered, the three settling into uncomfortable silence.

Team MJTM were speedily approaching the bridge when they spotted a giant mass in the sky above. "Giant nevermore! Theo!" Jace called, Theo jumping up with a birst of aura. A blinding flash of light and in the air was a giant flying hawk. "_Keeeee-arr!" _it's call was deafening, it's wing beats so powerful the tree's below struggled on their roots. With another shrill call it lunged at the equally large Nevermore, a battle of talon and wings commencing.

The amphitheater was buzzing with disbelief. "_What?!_" Ruby cried in utter shock, no one expecting Theo to turn into a giant hawk. "That just broke the awesome scales" Yang praised, an excited grin on her face. Weiss looked over at Blake whose eye's were wide and mouth slightly agape. _If he just did that...is he half faunus?!_ She thought, her tired mind still trying to wrap itself around the spectacle. _Nothing from here on will surprise me_ Weiss thought simply.

"Woah!" Jouane exclaimed, "That was sick!". Pyrrha laughed, "Are their tricks unending?" she asked, the question not meant to be answered. "Can I ride it? I wanna ride it!" Nora chattered, Ren sighed, "That's not how it works, Nora". _Perhaps a connection with his homeland? _Ren thought, storing the idea for later.

Team MJTM were now battling on the bridge, Theo furiously battling the Nevermore above whilst the other's fought to recover the flag. Bird men stood in the way however, screaming with rage at the trespassers. Jace summoned another hail of light spears, taking a chunk out of their large numbers. "Mason!" Marco called, leaping toward him with a laugh. Mason grabbed him with his left hand, swinging him around into a group of Bird men. The Bird men fell like bowling pins, some running off the side in a panic, green fire burning away at their feathers. Mason's cannon could be heard blasting away, knobby legs and wings going flying.

At this point team CARD had managed to catch up, slowly making their way onto the bridge. The boys stood in a protective circle around Ariel, shooting and slashing anything that got close. Ariel's face was a mess of jealousy and rage, all directed toward the opposing team.

"I have it! Mason yelled, tugging the flag out of the stone with no effort. He looked up, seeing the battle above drawing to a close. With a mischievous smile he held the flagpole straight up, his fingers pointed like a gun towards the nevermore. "What the hell are you waiting for, christmas?!" Jace shouted, lofting off a Bird man's head. "Trust me, you're gonna love this!" Marco reassured, Mason laughed at his teammate's absurdity, blasting away yet another group of Bird men. A thundering _crack _sounded from above, a white hot lightening bolt shooting straight towards Marco. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Jace cried out in protest. The lightening struck the pole, running through Marco and shooting out of his fingertips. The Nevermore cried out in pain, slowly sinking down the canyon in a way that resembled a shot down ship. "Helllllllll YES!" Marco screamed with joy, the other's following his lead and jumping off the bridge onto a swooping Theo's back. The scene was in a strange way perfect, the three teammates celebrating (and swearing) above the wreckage, a flair shooting up and exploding behind them. Team MJTM was victorious.


	6. Chapter 6

*****Authors Note: Hey! So I'm glad people are reading my stuff (thank you)! I just wanted to warn people that there isn't a lot of action in this one but I still think it's worth the read. I mean you learn some things, you might laugh a little, or you might not, either way, just thought I'd give ya a heads up. Feel free to tell me what you guys think, feedback is appreciated! Anyways, enough of that! ENJOY CHAPTER SIX WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.**

**Chapter Six: The Feast**

The awards ceremony was a success, Ironwood presenting team MJTM a large gold trophy, to signify their strength and teamwork. Jace didn't even acknowledge his presence. Marco's clothes were still slightly smoking and his normally messy black mane was an abominable _mess_ but the grin on his face told everyone he didn't care. Marco got Mason in a headlock, making a mess of his hair saying "We did it, we did it!" over and over. Mason laughed and struggled under his friends grip, Theo simply looking on with a small but happy smile.

Afterwards everyone was directed to the Dining Hall where a glorious feast awaited them, many digging in despite how late it was. Some had even just gone straight back to the dorms, too exhausted for a meal. Then there was team's RWBY and JNPR who had met by complete chance in one of the hallways, moving to an empty classroom to talk about things.

"So...pretty strong guys, am I right?" Juane started, everyone else nodding in silence.

"My question is what such powerful people doing at Beacon, they could be full fledged hunters already!" Weiss wondered, Ren narrowing his eye's.

"Unless they have some sort of hidden agenda" Ren said quietly, Yang standing up.

"Well I say the faster we make them our allies the better!" she proclaimed.

"Where do we start looking?" Pyrrha asked, the other's shrugged in abandon.

"I think I have an idea" Blake proposed, everyone huddling around to hear the scoop.

Meanwhile team MJTM had been assigned to their dorm room, which they were currently settling into. Marco collapsed onto his bed, "Woo, finally! I'm beat" Marco admitted, turning his head to Theo. "Was that lightning rod finisher not the most badass thing ever?" Marco asked him, to which Theo nodded. "Yeah, _and_ extremely reckless, the hell were you thinking?" Jace questioned, Marco only grinned. "He wanted to go out with a bang" Mason said, taking off his trench coat and handing it to Theo. "I dunno about these uniforms, I've never been much of a conformist" Marco said, holding up the gold embroidered Beacon jacket. "I'm sure they won't mind if you make a couple changes" Mason said, shrugging on the white button up. "I know I will" Jace said, pulling the jacket over one of his own black hoodies. "Clothing is part of your identity it is best to wear it however you wish" Theo agreed, straightening a red bow tie in the mirror.

By the end Mason was the only one who wore his uniform the right way. Theo had replaced the normal red tie with a bow tie,, his pocket watch clipped to his blue sweater. Not to mention the two boot knives sheathed peaking out beneath the dress pants. Jace only wore the jacket, replacing the sweater, tie, and white button up for a hoodie. He still wore his boots, his glove, and his belt; two strange looking pistols holstered on it. Marco had completely abandoned the jacket and sweater, wearing his white button up and tie loosely, his shirt not tucked in. To complete the look he shrugged on his "_Jugg Me_" jacket.

"Ah, now time to-" Marco was interrupted by their door opening, a staff member poking their head in.  
>"I-I'm sorry but Professor Ozpin and Mrs. Goodwitch would like to speak to all of you privately in their office, if you'd follow me there" she informed. The four followed her, Marco dejected on their missing out on food.<p>

"I'm not a complete monster, so I will send you off with some take-out" Ozpin said, handing James a bag of goodies taken from the feast. They stood on the Main Avenue, the Atlas military behind James, whilst the school stood behind Ozpin. "Ah, yes, well, I can understand where you'd be upset, I know you don't have heart for such things" James said, Ozpin narrowing his eye's. "Neither should _you_, James" he countered, James shrugged, beginning to walk away. "I didn't at first Ozzy" James called, then quieter, more to himself he whispered "Fear makes us do terrible things". Ozpin watched him go for a moment before turning back towards his school, he took a deep breath. "Right, off to meet the gifted ones".

"Now this is just funky" Marco observed, looking around at Ozpin's unique office. Many gears and shafts twisted above to keep the large clock on the opposite wall running, which gave a clear view of the academy below. Both Glynda and Ozpin were there to greet the four. Mason and Marco took a seat on a red velvet chair in front of Ozpin's desk while Theo stood behind them. Jace leaned on a bookshelf a short ways away. Marco started by immediately attacking the food set out on Ozpin's desk, Ozpin watching on in mild amusement.

"I assume you all must be exhausted after your very impressive performance so we'll try to keep this brief" Ozpin started, leaning forward in his chair.

"Were you trained Marco?" Ozpin inquired, Marco swallowing a large mouthful of porkpie before answering.

"Yeah, Mas and I were trained by someone I'm gonna call Mr. Blue"

"Is that his real name?" Glynda challenged, digging in for a verbal skirmish.

" 'Course not, he asked us not to tell anyone" Marco said, his auburn eye's turned serious.

"The only thing you need to know is that he trained Mason and I" Marco said finally, turning back to his food and adding, "Not to be rude of course". Glynda was ready to go off on him before Ozpin raised his hand.

"How did you all meet?" Ozpin asked. The gears turned and the giant clock ticked, but Marco did not speak.

"I-" Ozpin was only interrupted.

"Call it a manner of passing through" Marco said suddenly, looking at Ozpin, chin up. There was only silence again. This wasn't going by Ozpin's _or _Glynda's plans. Theo looked over at Jace, who was staring a hole through the oak door. Jace looked at Theo for a second, then back at the door. Theo shrugged, Jace sighed and turned his head towards the conversation, or lack of one.

"They're not talking" Blake whispered to the group, all waiting for news. They were all crouched outside the right side of the door, listening in on the "private" conversation.

"What do you _mean_ they're not talking?! They're in there to _talk_ why wouldn't they be-" Weiss's tirade was interrupted by yet another raised finger from Blake.

"Will you at least tell us why you want to be huntsmen?" they heard Ozpin asked, clearly having exhausted all other questions or options. There was silence yet again, but Blake heard someone getting off a chair.

"We've traveled a long way to get here, Ozpin. In fact we've circled the globe, all four of us together, and trust me, we've seen some _nasty_ shit, the kind of thing you thought was only in movies" Marco said, there was a pause, as if he was looking at his teammates.

"I can imagine the things you've seen, Marco" Ozpin replied seriously. Blake was surprised Glynda was staying quiet on this one. Normally she'd be furious at such blatant disrespect.

"We've fought, cried, bled, slept, fought, and cried some more, all of us together" Marco continued.

"What you see before you is four broken people, Ozpin, Mrs.G, _not_ future huntsmen" Marco said, silence once again enveloping the room. Blake looked back to the group of seven, all with confused looks. _Where's Ruby? _ Blake mouthed to Yang, who looked behind her before shrugging.

"My family thought the Grimm weren't a problem, but that was before fifty showed up on our doorstep" Marco said, silence folding over once more like a overlapping canopy.

"We learned then" Marco choked out, another close of the canopy.

" Jace lost his leg, his arm and his eyes to the grimm. Mason lost any chance of a normal life because of the grimm. Then there's Theo, who's lost _everything _thanks to the grimm" Marco almost whispered the confessions, the pain evident in his voice. Blake looked back once more, Empathy painted all over their faces.

"So we're here to take _back_ what we've lost, Ozpin" Marco announced, Glynda narrowed her eye's.

"How will you do that?" she asked.

"Well substituting what we've lost for grimm bodies works for us" Marco replied, they _all_ could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh, you poor boys" Glynda whispered sadly.

"Don't pity us, " Jace warned, shoving off the bookshelf.

"We've given ourselves to this cause, Miss" Mason said, standing up from the red on black seat.

"However noble or cruel" Theo finished, the four initiates standing in front of Ozpin's desk. They got on one knee, their faces staring into the floor.

_"We swear __on our lives and the things we've lost that from today onwards will be fight the grimm with our last breath. We will not give up. We will not falter. Will stare into evil itself and smile. May humanity forever be blessed by the light of dust"_

Their combined voice echoed up into the metallic rafters of the office, climbing up and releasing into the deep dark night. It sounded as if the air itself was buzzing, almost as if the oath was a living thing. The group hidden outside knew one thing for certain, they were going to have a _lot_ to talk later. Blake recognized the last part of the vow. "_May humanity forever be blessed by the light of dust",_ was a phrase some of the first ever huntsmen and huntresses signed documents and letters with.

Ozpin stood up, tapping each of their shoulders with his cane. They all rose to face him, heads held high. Ozpin smiled at them, adjusting his glasses before putting his hands behind his back.

"When I look at the four of you gentlemen I don't see people who are broken, far from it actually" Ozpin declared, Glynda looking on with a neutral expression.

"When I look at you four I see those who have stared tragedy right in the face and kept fighting. You're strong, you're brave, and you're just what Remnant needs to face the grimm. Welcome to Beacon, you all, you've certainly earned it" Ozpin finished, the four bowing their heads respectively.

"Well, I'm glad thats over with" Marco said, letting out a heavy sigh. He looked at his teammates, flashing a grin before turning towards the door.

"G'night, guys" Marco said in farewell.

"We'll answer all your other questions when the time is right" Theo reassured, the two teachers looking after the retreating group.

"Impressive youngsters indeed" Ozpin complimented, Glynda nodding in agreement.

"A shame only one wore his outfit properly" Glynda said ruefully. Ozpin chuckled, then began to laugh. Glynda only turned away, looking down at the academy below with a blush Ozpin couldn't see.

"_Move!_" Weiss whispered furiously, the seven darting to the nearest door, which was luckily unlocked. They piled in, just in time to see the four shadows pass through reflecting moonlight. They all let out a collective sigh, the exhaustion of the days activities finally getting to them.

"Now if this was not the most entertaining initiation day, I don't know what _is_" Juane reflected.

"More like one of the biggest headaches" Weiss grumbled, beginning to shiver in the cold darkness. Most if not the entire group had stripped down to their white button ups in an attempt to feel more comfortable, though they could all agree their pajamas were the true answer to their prayers.

"I say we all go back to our rooms and take time to digest this _and_ get some rest" Prryha proposed. A collective, tired, _"yes" _came from all.

"Oh yeah, where's the rubes?" Nora questioned, squinting around the dark room.

"She's probably back in the dorm passed out asleep, don't worry about it" Yang said dismissively.

"What if she's missing?" Blake asked.

"Well- Yang started, yawning and stretching before continuing, -she's gonna have to wait for her princess charming here to get some beauty sleep".

Ruby was currently wandering the cozily lit hallways of Beacon, still searching for her friends. That was the last time she silently slipped out for a quick bathroom break. The lighting fire crackled softly, making shadows dance and prance on the walls. Ruby felt as if she could fall asleep any moment but the hunger for information willed her exhausted body onward. Though the more she walked the more she felt her will fade, that was until she spotted team MJTM making their way towards her. Marco waved, grinning in her direction. Ruby quickly looked behind her, making sure there wasn't anyone behind her. When she realized there wasn't she stood straighter, ready to prove herself. They may be powerful but she had her strengths too and wasn't about to be completely shown up by newcomers. _That's right, just act cool and everything will be just fine_ she thought.

"Hey! Uh, weird question but do you happen to know where they keep all the sports equipment?" Marco asked, Ruby being caught completely off guard.

"Uh-um well I can lead you there, only I-if you'd want to of course!" Ruby squeaked, mentally face palming herself. _Why me?! Why must you stutter when answering simple questions!?_ She wasn't in the most presentable of conditions either, her hair a mess, hood and jacket discarded, and she was pretty sure she had a grease stain on her white shirt.

"Sweet! Please lead the way, fair maiden" Marco joked, winking. This only made Ruby blush a deep red, scooting ahead of the group.

"T-this way" Ruby said meekly, beginning the short expedition to the gym.

By the time the group reached their destination Ruby felt completely at ease. Jace had immediately made Marco apologize, their argument afterwards more than enough to make Ruby laugh. Not to mention Mason had complimented Ruby on her hair, rendering her speechless with rosy cheeks.

"So here it is! Beacon Academy's Gym just as promised" Ruby cheerfully informed, the four stepping through the metal doors.

"Oh, so it's _this_ kind of gym" Marco realized, eyeing the many treadmills and stacked dumbbells.

"Well the supply closet's over there if that's what you're looking for" Ruby directed, Marco frowning at the padlock. Jace sighed and crushed the lock to pieces with his bionic arm.

"Thats!-

"If they ask, we broke it, no harm done" Marco reassured quickly, ducking into the closet.

"Is he always like this?" Ruby asked, listening to Marco's struggle in the dark lit space.

"Regretfully, yes" Jace replied distainfully.

"It would be _super_ great if I had my cyborg bestie in here to help me" Marco called. Jace grunted in reply before going to his aid. Mason took his sunglasses off, blinking a few times before focusing back on Ruby. He caught Ruby watching him and smiled.

`"Because I'm a half grimm my eye's are quite sensitive to sunlight, though it's nice not having to wear them at night" Mason explained, running a hand through his fiery tangles.

"_Pretty_.." Ruby murmured, not realizing she'd said her thoughts aloud. She covered her mouth with a surprised gasp, not willing to meet his "pretty" eye's.

"Really? That's the first time anyone's told me that. Thanks, Ruby" Mason admitted, a kind smile adopting his pale features.

"Uh-uh sure no problem any time, really!" Ruby said awkwardly, thankful for the emerging of Jace and Marco.

"Ta-_dah!_" Marco cried, holding up a soccer ball in a overly dramatic fashion.

"You were after a soccer ball?" Ruby asked disbelievingly.

"Pssssht yeah, of course! Have you never just kicked around a ball for fun before?" Marco asked, Ruby realizing she'd never experienced the "luxury".

"It's not for everyone but thanks for the help Ruby!" Marco thanked, leading his entourage in the direction of the dorms. Mason waved goodbye, mouthing "_goodnight_" before the metal door shut behind him. Ruby sighed. _That was fun and all but I didn't really get any info, I hope the others were more successful _ she thought, letting herself out of the gym and towards the dorms.

The girls were on her like a pack of wolves, telling Ruby everything they'd heard. Ruby told them about her encounter as well, to which they were extensively curious.

"Did you get Marco's scroll code?"

"Did you see Jace's face?"

"Did you ask Theo about Madiki?"

"No, no not really, and no" Ruby answered, the girl's dejectedly got into their beds.

"Though Mason has pretty eye's!" Ruby informed, realizing after this fact was not helpful in any way. They all lay face up in their beds, silence encompassing the room.

"So, to a hopefully less confusing tomorrow" Weiss proposed, the others responded with weak cheers of agreement.

Team MJTM lay in their beds in a similar fashion, though Mason had already fallen asleep.

"To a great education at Beacon" Marco said softly, Jace grunted, Theo was silent. Marco looked at the moonlight seeping into the room and smiled.

"Goodnight ya bastards" Marco whispered, settling into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

*****Authors Note: The rest of team MJTM's first day will be in the next installment! I didn't want to make you lovely people read 4-6 thousand words in one chapter so get by with this and Chapter Eight will be up tomorrow! Thanks a lot, Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven: Morning of a New Day**

Three muffled gunshots were heard at 6 o'clock am the next morning, giving team RWBY a rude awakening.

"Whaa?" Ruby questioned, trying to rub the sleep out of her eye's.

"Rubyyyy" Yang whined, burying her face in her pillow.

"Go check it out would you?" Weiss asked, rolling away from the door. Blake had shot awake, sitting up silently in her bed.

"It came from next door" Blake whispered, her gaze not leaving the opposite wall.

"I thought no one was in there!" Ruby whispered fearfully, clinging onto her bed sheets.

"Let's go take a look" Blake said, looking at Ruby expectantly at the door.

"Oh no" Ruby muttered in resignation, following Blake into the silent morning hallway.

They crept slowly, Blake's ear's twitching under her bow. They stopped in front of the door, hearing muffled arguing from the inside.

"-the hell was that Marco?!" they heard an angry Jace yell.

"Wha? I thought it was my music player" they heard Marco groggily reply, clearly still not awake.

"It's not an issue, I've been awake for the past five hours" Theo pointed it, to which they heard a heavy sigh, most likely from Jace.

"Whatever, I should probably go on a run anyway" Jace said tiredly, rustling and squeaking coming from the other side. The two teammates could barely contain their giggles as they made their way back to the dorm, Ruby finally letting out a squeal of laughter once the door was closed. The other two girls were awake now, looking at their teammates with tired confusion.

"Wha happened?" Yang questioned yawning and stretching into her bed.

"Ahahahaha-t-the Marco guy m-mistook a p-pistol for a music p-layer" Ruby sputtered out, only to be attacked by another horde of giggles.

"What could you possibly be saying?" Weiss asked, frustrated. Not only was her beauty sleep interrupted but a part of her felt bad for missing such a laugh fest with her teammates. Blake coughed and cleared her throat, a patch of crimson on her cheeks.

"Well, it sounded like Marco grabbed what he thought was his music player which instead was a loaded pistol" Blake explained, Weiss nodding slowly. The more she thought of it, the more stupid it became, hence the funnier it became.

"That's _so_ stupid!" she burst out, a fit of giggles pouring out after it. Yang only laid in bed and smiled at them, her thoughts filled with "Marco the Mysterious", a title of her own creation.

Meanwhile Jace had been good on his word and was jogging down the main avenue. His jog suit consisted of a grey sleeveless hoodie and sweat pants, his left foot making a _ting_ sound through his sneaker every time it hit the stone. The early morning sun gleamed off his bionic arm, the word _sin _forcefully carved in the metal. On his flesh shoulder was an atlas military logo, a deep scar defacing it almost entirely. Then a tattoo on his rough forearm revealed tiny black tic marks, making what almost looked like a black band around it.

"So, Jace Snider, correct?" a voice asked, Pyrrha jogging up to Jace. Jace didn't speak for a long time, barely even looking at her. Pyrrha took this time to observe him in an attempt on gathering information. One word resonated with her when she looked at him; _grey_. His arm, his sweats, his aura, and even his _semblance. _Though she did take note scrawled _sin_ in his arm. Pyrrha herself wore a red tank and work out shorts, green and red sneakers hitting the ground next to Jace's grey and silver one's. They circled around the fountain, heading back towards the school.

"Are you liking your stay here so far?" she asked, Jace's hooded head not turning to acknowledge her.

"Well no one's tried to kill me yet, so that's a plus" Jace said cynically, Pyrrha letting out a laugh.

"I suppose this is a common thing for you?" she asked. Jace took down his hood, revealing a neutral and scarred face. His hair was groomed to Atlas military perfection, a short by slightly styled silvery white sitting atop his head. He looked over to her, his eye zooming in and out.

"Tragically, yes" Jace replied, slowing down before coming to a stop before a bench. He sat down, Pyrrha also slowing and taking a seat next to him. She got a glance of his tattoo's and muscled arm, saving the images in her mind. He took a gulp of bottled water, offering the bottle to Pyrrha. She nodded in thanks, taking a sip before handing it back to him.

"We knew you guys were outside the office, by the way" Jace said offhandedly, not much to Pyrrha's surprise.

"It was an impressive story" Pyrrha offered, Jace smiled ruefully.

"The most impressive things are often hell for those in the middle of it" he said forlornly, his eye looking far beyond Pyrrha or the sunrise.

"What classes do you have?" she asked, Jace handing her his scroll without a word. _History __year 2__ with Oobleck, Grimm Studies __year 2__with Port, __Grimm Engagement with Goodwitch and Advanced Combat Training with Mr. Taylor_ she read.

"It looks as if we have grimm studies and advanced combat training together, what about the rest of your team?"

"We all have the same classes" Jace replied simply, pocketing his scroll. He got up, putting his hood back on.

"It was a pleasure Nikos" Jace said in farewell, jogging back to the school. _This will be a great opportunity to watch what they're capable of_ she thought, jogging off toward the dorms to inform her team.

"Were you really awake the whole time, Theo?" Marco asked, the four making their way to the dining hall. The school around them was just beginning to stir, running to drop off dirty laundry, take showers, and all grab a quick bite before the start of classes at 9 o'clock.

"Of course, someone had to keep watch" Theo replied, rubbing his glasses with a cloth before placing them back on his face.

"It was nice to sleep in a comfy bed" Mason remarked, Marco laughed.

"Did you even hear the gunshots?" Jace asked. A red raised eyebrow told him about what he expected.

The group entered the dining hall, which was surprisingly empty. They silently grabbed their trays and sat near the end of an empty table. A hearty breakfast was in store; bacon, eggs, sausage and tater tots with an orange and milk.

"How long's it been since we had a _decent_ breakfast?" Marco asked blissfully, immediately digging in to the deliciousness.

"I didn't think my cooking was that bad" Jace muttered, dejectedly stabbing into his sausage. Mason frowned, "I quite like your cooking Jace" he reassured. Jace happily stabbed into a tater tot.

"No matter how much you dress it up breakfast was made for the sole purpose of energy for the morning's ordeals" Theo pointed out, laying a hanker chief on his lap.

"Well I suppose this _is_ pretty good" Jace resigned, taking a long gulp of milk.

Team RWBY on the other hand had barely managed to make it to breakfast, squabbles over the shower and who would deliver the laundry making for a morning of controlled chaos. They immediately spotted Team MJTM towards the back of the hall, eating and exchanging idle chatter.

"Should we go over to them?" Ruby asked, looking for confirmation.

"I don't see why not" Blake said, Yang and Weiss following along. _I am so getting his number _Yang thought. Weiss composed herself, _why am I nervous? Don't be ridiculous, schee, we're just sitting down at a table!_

"Oh heya Ruby! Sorry about waking you guys up, silly mistake really" Marco greeted, Ruby and Yang taking a seat next to Marco whilst Weiss and Blake next to Jace. Theo and Mason were stuck on the ends.

"Yes, it's a wonder how you mistook the power button for the safety of my _pistol_" Jace said darkly, finishing off the last of his egg.

"Do you always wear your hood at the table?" Weiss questioned. It was terribly rude and improper to hide your face during a meal, this she learned growing up in the Schnee family.

"Do you always question people's life choices at the table?" Jace shot back, Weiss narrowed her eye's.

"Well that was rather rude" she huffed, beginning to pick at her food.

"Don't mind him, he's grumpy in the morning's, you're daughter of the Schnee company right?" Marco asked, attempting to make small talk. Jace visibly stiffened, angrily taking his trash with a gloved hand. Weiss watched him go before answering.

"Yes, Weiss Schnee, it's a pleasure to meet you, Marco Polo" she introduced, Marco shook her hand with a grin on his face.

"So which one of you are the leader?" he asked. All heads turned to Ruby, who was eagerly digging in to the filling breakfast.

"Uh-wahds?" she asked, her words distorted by the breakfast of champions. Weiss sniffed in disgust, beginning to cut her sausage into pieces. Theo suddenly let out a tremendous belch, Mason exploded into laughter. Theo dabbed at his mouth with the hanker chief, "Delightful if I do say so myself" he complimented, Blake smiled at the scene. Yang suddenly nabbed Marco's last tater tot, popping It into her mouth with a confident smirk. Marco stared at his tray, his face neutral. Yang's smirk soon faded, noticing he wasn't smiling.

"O-

"That was the _last_ one" Marco said, his voice lacking the friendly tone from before.

"I-

"What's you're name?" he demanded, Yang slowly leaning away from him.

"Yang?" she answered, bracing herself for his wrath. He looked up, the biggest grin on his face.

"Well, Yang, you're the first to have ever done that, you're officially _awesome_" he praised, Yang nothing but confused but happy about the "_awesome"_.

"I- thanks I guess" she replied, not expecting all her tater tots to be gone when she looked down at her tray.

"Wha-" she whipped around to Marco, who was turned completely away from her.

"Um, Yang, I think he took your tater tots" Mason said, his eye's sparkled with amusement. Yang twisted Marco around, only to witness him swallow them in one gulp. He jumped up like a child, laughing and teasing Yang as she chased him around the hall.

"Never a dull moment with this group" Jace said, placing a milk in front of Weiss's tray.

"You forgot a milk" he stated, Mason and Theo following him towards the exit. Jace grabbed Marco by the jacket, dragging him away. He waved goodbye to team RWBY, a ridiculously happy grin on his face. Yang sat down heavily, panting. With a slight blush Weiss took a sip of her milk.

"That was informative" Blake said sarcastically.

"I didn't even get his frackin' scroll code!" Yang despaired.

"The opportunity will come again" Weiss said simply. Ruby suddenly spit out her milk, narrowly missing a surprised Weiss.

"You du-

"We're late!" she cried, the four immediately rocketed out of the dining hall.


	8. Chapter 8

*****Authors Note: Hey! So today's schedule was super tight, the semester is ending so that means an onslaught of shitty projects and test, woo! Plus this whole first day thing actually has a lot more stuff to it than I thought it would, so apologies for that. Though do not cry tears of utter sadness, for I will still be doing my best to do a chapter a day and giving you, the glorious viewer, the brainchild of a creative and (sometimes) scary mind. So thanks for being patient and stuff, I'm trying really hard so just try to bear with me. One last thing, rbear1231, you were 100% right in the assumption that this was gonna be a long _ass_ day. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight: A Time of Learning **

Team RWBY certainly didn't expect team MJTM to be in their first class, who were already making themselves at home in the top row.

"Welcome back girls! I assume your break was delightful?! Delightful! Take a seat then shall we!" Dr Oobleck hammered off, the girls taking their seats a couple rows below Marco and the others. After a couple more students entered Dr. Oobleck began his assault on his students.

"Yes! Yes! Welcome everyone to another year at Beacon! Another year for learning! Another year for _history!_ Today's lesson will be in honor of our new student Theo Aylan, who hauls from the very historic, very ancient land of Madiki kingdom!" Oobleck spouted, all eye's traveling to Theo. The dark skinned Pyion got up and bowed accordingly before sitting back down.

"Yes! So the Madiki kingdom was a very peaceful place filled with native tribes all with the same purpose; to survive!" Oobleck began, clicking the button on a dust projector, the lights going out. The first picture showed a group of dark skinned warriors, armed to the teeth with bone armor and bone weapons similar to Theo's.

"This here ladies and gentlemen is a traditional tribesmen hunting party armed with-yes! Grimm weapons and armor-the process on how these are made isn't very well known..."

While Oobleck was rambling on Marco was busy reading a note Yang had covertly thrown him. Her lilac eye's glittered with promise, making Marco beam.

_Hi :P _Yang's note read, Marco scribbled a response. He waited before tossing it back, he'd never experienced the art of passing notes, though he was _very_ willing to learn if a beautiful blonde was on the receiving end.

_Hi :D_

_Kinda boring huh? :_

_Is that a penguin? :U_

_Have you ever done this before? (':_

_Nope, I'm just putting symbols at the end and hoping they make sense __

Yang could barely hold in her giggles, leaning over the tabletop to restrain herself. Jace only rolled his eye's, though he couldn't lie, hearing things he already knew didn't exactly sate his amusement. Marco was doodling on a tiny black notepad, an incredibly detailed drawing of Oobleck standing mid-speech, coffee cup in one hand and his cluttered desk sitting sorrily behind him. Weiss was using all her will power not to discipline Yang, finding her behavior nothing short of immature. That's when she felt her scroll vibrate. Peaking down she was shocked to see a message from Jace Snider on the screen . She whipped her head around, Jace not acknowledging her. Though she was acknowledged by Oobleck, who'd learned to keep an eye on team RWBY from last year.

_ "_A problem Miss Schnee?" he asked, all eye's on her, including Jace's.

"Um-uh no not at all doctor" she stammered, internally cursing Jace for the embarrassment. Oobleck kept his gaze fixed on her for a moment before continuing.

"Like I was saying- the tribesmen were different in their use of dust, using it for much more..."

Weiss looked down at the message, not expecting what she saw.

_Jace Snider497: I remember you, seven years ago, Ironwood brought me to visit the head of the Schnee dust company, you've changed. _

_Ice_Queen126: Ten years ago I was ten, and you couldn't have been much older! Besides, how'd you get my scroll code?!_

_Jace Snider497: I was fifteen. This eye can do more than see, all pleasure of Ironwood of course._

Weiss did indeed remember that encounter seven years ago, if you could even call it that. Weiss spent the entire time hiding behind her father's leg, watching Winter from a distance miserably fail at getting Jace to talk. Though she certainly didn't know he was _22_. _Five years older than me! Enough Weiss, it dosen't matter anyway!_ She internally argued, sending a message back.

_Ice_Queen126: Well I suppose that makes sense, how did you two become acquainted?_

_Jace Snider497: That's not something I talk about_

Jace stopped messaging her, his hooded face never once looking down at her. Blake appeared to be the only one actually listening to Oobleck, Ruby reading Marco's notes with Yang, both states of controlled giggles.

"-There are so many things to tell you all but nothing to show you-it is a terrible tragedy Madiki- the amount of grimm there is simply to great to face so retrieving any relics or pieces of their culture is almost impossible-

"Not entirely" Theo rumbled, Oobleck whipping his gaze to him. Theo's bone sword appeared in his hand, a soft glow emmitting from it in the darkness. Theo slowly walked down the steps, Blake could swear she heard the sword _humming._ Theo stopped in front of Oobleck, who had put his coffee cup down and was standing completely still. Theo carefully held out to him, Oobleck taking the sword very gently in his grasp.

"My oh my" he marveled, speaking slowly for one of the first times ever. Upon his close inspection he noticed small carving's in the curved hilt and dangerously thin blade. Small animals like deer and rabbit were carved on the blade, little Beowolves and Boarba tusk etched into the hilt.

"Did you make this yourself?" he asked, the lights suddenly coming back on.

"Yes" Theo answered simply, his hands held behind his back. Thats when Blake noticed part of a falcon tattoo on his right forearm, he'd abandoned the school's coat and sweater for a vest so his sleeve's were pulled up, making the tattoo (partly) visible.

"Unbelievable" Oobleck whispered, completely transfixed.

Meanwhile Marco and yang had gotten on an extra friendly basis, having gone through seven pieces of paper primarily filled with emoticons and tid bits of conversation.

_So, whats your scroll code? ;* :D ;) _Yang's note read, finally asking the long awaited question.

_Whats a scroll?_

"WHAT?!" Yang burst out, Oobleck too taken by the sword to notice.

So the rest of the class was spent showing Marco what a scroll was and giving him the mind bending revelation that _he_ himself had one, claiming he'd mistaken it as an "Advanced Butterknife". The two teams had joined together at this point, Oobleck too absorbed in Theo's weapons to care.

"Quite the technology this is, too bad I see it in only one color" Theo remarked, exploring the wonders of his scroll in a chocolate covered world.

"What color is that?" Blake questioned, giving the "blind" Pyion her undivided attention.

"Imagine everything you see outlined in black and brown, though despite this you still look quite lovely" he complimented, catching Blake completely off guard.

"I-thank you" she said softly, a blush dusting her cheeks.

"I can see when you blush as well" he informed, the additional information making her turn around in her seat. The ghost of a smile passed his dark lips.

"We should _all_ exchange scroll codes!" Ruby proposed, Marco excitedly firing off his code to team RWBY with childish excitement.

"Okay okay, I'm gonna send a message a message now" Marco announced, slowly tapping the touch pad. After two minutes Yang's scroll beeped.

_Enteryournamehere123: DID IT WORK?!_

Yang looked at it for a minute before laughing at his absurdly bad skills at technology.

"You've never been one for things with buttons" Jace teased, Marco frowning.

"_Whaaaa?_ Dude I didn't know they had Tetris on here!" Marco exclaimed, Jace peeked at his screen. Marco was hitting buttons upside down on his calculator app.

"Oh good lord" Jace muttered, forgetting how much Marco's wanderings and past had desensitized him to technology.

"So, what's that you got there?" Ruby asked, eyeing Mason's sketchpad. Mason smiled without looking up, finishing the last stroke before handing it to Ruby. It was a _perfect_ portrait of her sitting in her bench, looking ahead, a elbow on her table and chin in hand. Not even the smallest details had been left out, a small, almost unnoticeable cowlick on the back of Ruby's head somehow depicted in a beautiful way.

"This is _amazing_ Mason, where'd you learn to draw like this?" she breathed, handing it back to him. He ripped off the page, handing it to her.

"F-for me?" Ruby asked, completely surprised, taking the thin paper and carefully closing it in her red and black notebook. She'd also managed to catch a glimpse of an impressively drawn Dr. Oobleck. Mason smiled tenderly.

"It's compensation for drawing you without permission" he explained, Ruby laughed.

"_How_ do people see you as dangerous? I mean, the whole half-grimm thing can be pretty scary at first-not to mention your initiation-but! You're just so _nice _and you _draw_ and, um yeah" Ruby said, realizing she was rambling much longer than she intended. Mason was looking at her, but not at _her_, his dull red eye's far away.

"I think that if everyone thought like you, _maybe_ things would be different" he almost whispered, Ruby turning around, thinking of what she heard. _What would be different? Gah, so much mystery!_ She thought, glancing back at Mason. She then looked at Weiss, who seemed to be having the same thoughts towards Jace. Something told her that they had only hit the tip of the iceberg.


End file.
